Mike's preface: Radio sales is difficult enough, but when you're faced with a two-tiered construct that positions a whole 'nother sales staff above the station's established team, it's even worse. In addition to the message that follows, I've heard that morale within the station's sales staff is at an all-time low. Commission cutting and being "sold around" by the Card's sales staff is at the root of it, and it doesn't look like it'll change anytime soon. And it appears that this sort of behavior is endemic to this aspect of media sales.
The Cardinals employ a sales staff that sells in stadium (promotions and signage) and the avails that were negotiated into the deal. KTRS sales staff sells the rest and are employed by KTRS.
Two of the sports sellers from KMOX took jobs with KTRS. Two didn't. Tom Dolan and Dan Hope were with KMOX for 7 or 8 years and were the top billers. They probably were able to secure a lot of the $ for this season's billing.
I've heard from a friend on the KTRS sales staff that recently they have been cutting commissions for anyone who didn't meet the local programming goals...cutting the sports commissions if they didn't sell the local crap (i.e. Woods, Kramer, etc.) That will effect these two in a big way as they probably do not have a list that supports local as much as sports because they specialize in sports...that's why they were hired.
One of the challenges that KTRS has faced is that the Cardinal employed sellers can sell against them their own station and avails. In the contract that CBS negotiated and then the Cardinals threw at KTRS for signature, the Cardinals get avails in the game and on the local side. The Cardinals can use these as added value or sell them at a greatly reduced rate because it's free money to them.
Here's a scenario: STLMedia is going to buy advertising on Cardinal Baseball &/or KTRS. You have 10K to spend. Your KTRS rep can sell you 10K in spot at regular rates and bonus you a few game tickets. Your Cardinal baseball rep will sell you a sign at Busch for 8K and give you the same avails on KTRS and in Cardinal baseball. Think about it...If you spend it with KTRS the Cardinals make 50% of your 10K. If you spend it with the Cardinal sellers the Cardinals make 100% of it. Happens all the time. Happened on KMOX last year and the Cardinals now have much more inventory to work with.
I do understand that KTRS recently hired Tim Hasty (from Charter) to run sports marketing with a big contract. I don't know him. This hiring was after the commissions were cut, but that might have something to do with what's going on.
Cardinal baseball is not the easy gig...wasn't at KMOX and surely isn't at KTRS. I just knew that they wouldn't have a clue as to how to manage expectations...seems I was right. That's a shame for the people there.
